Chapters 27-30: The Ghost of Tom Joad

Tom's been in hiding since his latest dealings with a man who wronged his people. Worried - Ma tracks him down behind a tangle of vines in a lightless cave. She needed to visit him at night - one last time - alone.

They sat silent in the coal-black cave of vines. Ma said, "How'm I gonna know 'bout you? They might kill ya an' I wouldn' know. They might hurt ya. How'm I gonna know?"

Tom laughed uneasily, "Well, maybe like Casy says, a fella ain't got a soul of his own, but on'y a piece of a big one - an' then -"

"Then what, Tom?'

"Then it don't matter. Then I'll be all aroun' in the dark. I'll be ever'where - whereever you look. Whereever they's a fight so hungry people can eat, I'll be there. Whereever they's a cop beatin' up a guy, I'll be there. If Casy knowed, why, I'll be in the way guys yell when they're mad an' - I'll be in the way kids laugh when they're hungry an' they know supper's ready. An' when our folks eat the stuff they raise an' live in the houses they build - why, I'll be there. See?"

Listen to the Rage Against the Machine cover, "The Ghost of Tom Joad" (found in shared all) and post a response to the idea the Tom was talking about. What does he mean by the above statement? What conclusions has he come to about the dire situation the migrants have found themselves in? How might this be about the idea of leadership as it relates to poor v. rich in society?

Chapters 21-26: What Jail Taught a Preacher

The men in the tent chuckled. A wizened little man with a wrinkled face slapped his knee. "Talks all the time," he said. "Folks kinda likes to hear 'im though."
"Use' ta be a preacher," said Tom. "Did he tell that?"
"Sure, he told."
Casy grinned. "Well, sir," he went on, "I begin gettin' at things. Some a them fellas in the tank was drunks, bur mostly they was there 'cause they stole stuff; an' mostly it was stuff they needed an' couldn' get no other way. Ya see?" he asked.
"No," said Tom.
"Well, they was nice fellas, ya see. What made 'em bad was they needed stuff. An' I begin to see, then. It's need that makes all the trouble. I ain't got it worked out. Well, one day they give us some beans that was sour. One fella started yellin', an' nothin' happened. He yelled his head off. Trusty come along an' looked in an' went on. Then another fella yelled. Well, sir, then we all got yellin'. And we all got on the same tone. an' I tell ya, it jus' seemed like that tank bulged an' give and swelled up. By God! Then somepin happened! They come a-runnin', and they give us some other stuff to eat - give it to us. Ya see?"
"No," said Tom.
Casy put his chin down on his hands. "Maybe I can't tell you," he said. "Maybe you got to find out."


In this conversation between Casy and Tom, we can see that being jailed has taught the preacher a life lesson. Tom is unable to piece Casy's epiphany together, but we may be able to come to understand what Casy learned.

In this post, please share the big idea that Casy realized and it's importance to a larger idea depicted in the novel.

Chapters 17-20: Life in Hooverville

As the Joads make it into California, not everything is like they expected it to be. They are first introduced to a new way of living in the Hoovervilles that dot the landscape.

One of the first experiences Ma Joad has was what to do with the little food they have and so many mouths to feed in the encampment. This dilemma eats away at her.

React to Ma's behavior at the stewpot and her statement: "We're the people that live. They ain't gonna wipe us out. Why, we're the people - we go on."

Chapters 14-16: "This is the beginning - from 'I' to 'we.'"

"The two men squatting in a ditch, the little fire, the side-meat stewing in a single pot, the silent, stone-eyed women; behind, the children listening with their souls to words their minds do not understand.  The night draws down.  The baby has a cold.  Here, take this blanket.  It's wool.  It was my mother's blanket - take it for the baby.  This is the thing to bomb.  This is the beginning - from 'I' to 'we.'
     The Western States are nervous under the beginning change.  Need is the stimulus to concept, concept to action.  A half-million people moving over the country; a million more restive, ready to move; ten million more feeling the first nervousness.
      And tractors turning the multiple furrows in the vacant land."

Please complete a second-draft read of chapter 14 and in a short essay, show how the ideas expressed in Chapter 14 are illustrated in the next two chapters.  Be sure to include at least one quoted instance from Chapter 15 and 16 that help to support your claims.